Suikoden 3: The Girl of Life.
by Aylee
Summary: There's a new master of the stars. but this time it's a... a.... GIRL??? One who has a rather annoying attitude problem at that!!! R&R please!


"Lady Aileen

"Lady Aileen! Come back here this instant!" A woman's cry comes from the open door.

"Uh uh… Not till you agree to stop calling me 'Lady Aileen' and just call me Aylee!" The brown haired girl who had just run out of the doorway yells back.

"I shall agree to no such terms! Your mother would forbid it!" The Maid yells stepping into the doorway.

"Heh." The girl smirks, "Well then I guess I should go somewhere where people will listen to me!" The girls brown eyes flash with mischief.

"Lady Aileen!" The woman cries in shock, "Please start acting like a young lady and come in the house!"

"Nope! Nothin doin…" The girl Shakes her head, turns around, and runs away from the mansion.

"Lady Aileen!" The woman yells after her. "Oh dear. The mistress will not be very pleased." She turns and retreats back into the mansion.

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"The Wheels of Destiny are starting to turn once again," Says a woman standing near an open window of her atelier.

The boy standing across the room looks at her, "What's that supposed to mean, Lady Leknaat?" He says and tucks his dirty blond hair behind his ear.

"The 108 Stars are starting to gather." Leknaat tells her apprentice, "You will soon be needed again Luc."

"Oh perfect," The boy says sarcastically rolling his eyes. He walks across the marble floor to Leknaat's side. "Who is it this time?"

"A person about the age of 17. Quite a rebel. Ran away from home just because she didn't like being called 'Lady Aileen'" Leknaat says to the boy and pulls the hood of her robe over her long black hair.

"Wait a second!" Luc exclaims looking at his master, "Are you trying to tell me the leader of the Stars of Destiny is a girl this time?"

"Yes," Leknaat says simply, "But it's not time for us to approach yet." She turns and walks down the stairs to one of the lower levels leaving Luc staring after her.

He turns to the window, "A girl huh…" He shakes his head and looks up at the stars, "I just hope she's up to the task…" He turns around and runs after Leknaat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aylee sighs and slumps back against the wall of the town Sanro. It had been two whole days since she had run away, and dress she was wearing was in tatters. Not that she liked wearing the dress anyway. She closes her eyes from lack of energy and next thing she knows someone is shaking her awake.

"Mmmm…" She mutters opening her eyes and blinks for a few seconds. Then she looks at the person who woke her up. He has dark brown hair and is rather big.

The bear like man grins and gets to his feet. "Are you alright?" He asks her. She nods. "Good. Can you get up?" she nods again and gets to her feet. He laughs and she just stares at him with wide eyes.

"Hey Victor!" A voice comes from behind them. "Who's this?" Says a man coming up next to them. He looked like he was in his late 20's and he wore a blue bandana and a blue cape.

"I don't know Flik. I found her sleeping outside the city gates." The man called Victor says.

"Aylee looks up a the sky and notices it's starting to get dark. She must have been asleep for hours! She looks back at the two men, who were now looking at her.

"Can you speak?" Victor asks.

"Obviously." Aylee replies.

"Hmmm…" Victor says, "She's got an attitude…"

Aylee glares at him.

Flik laughs, "She doesn't seem to like you much Victor!"

"Mmmm…" Aylee says and closes her eyes with a cross look on her face.

"Doesn't look like she's to pleased with you either Flik." Victor retorts.

"If you really care, I'm not really in the mood to put up with either of you…" Aylee says crossly. Victor laughs.

"Figures…" Aylee says and leans against the wall again.

"Where're you from?" Flik asks.

"None of your business." Aylee replies.

"Hmph," Victor says, "She reminds me of someone…" He turns toward the town.

"What do you mean?" Flik asks him.

"I'll tell you later. For now lets get a room at the inn…" He says and yawns. Then he turns toward Aylee, "You can come too… We'll get you a separate room if you want."

"Fine, whatever. Just as long as I don't have to pay…" Aylee says and they walk towards the inn.

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"How long is finding her going to take you! Oh wait, I forgot you and your whole team are idiots!" A dark brown haired lady was yelling. Standing next to her, or rather kneeling, was the chief of police.

"W-We may have a lead mistress…" The man says.

The woman paces back and forth across the room long enough to make the chief very nervous. She stops in front of him. "Fine, go then and find my daughter!" The woman yells at him. "And on your way out tell that maid to get up here!"

"Y-Yes Mistress!" the man says very relieved… He hurries out of the room as fast as he possibly could.

"If they don't find her fast enough my plans will be ruined!" She mutters under her breath and resumes pacing back and forth. Soon she hears someone knocking faintly on her door. "Come in, come in!" She says impatiently.

The door opens and the woman Aylee was talking to before she left the Mansion comes in. "Y-Y-You wanted to s-s-see me mistress?" She says quietly.

"Why do you people always stutter around me? Oh well…" The woman dismisses the comment with a wave of her hand, "Tell ma why exactly you let my daughter leave the mansion in the first place…"

"I-I-I'm sorry mistress. I-It's just she ran off so fast!" The maid says hurriedly.

"And you decided not to run after her?" The older woman says to her servant. She walks over to the window behind her and parts the curtain with her hands.

"B-B-But I…"

"But you what?" The woman asks. She lets the curtain fall back into place. "What did you do Lisibeth? Nothing. You just stood there and watched my daughter, Aileen, run off to who knows where! I believe that deserves punishment! Neglecting your job after all…" Some guards come into the room. "Arrest her." The woman says and points to Lisibeth.

"P-P-Please! Mistress! I-I-I'm sorry! Please mistress!" Lisibeth cries as she's pulled from the room.

"That takes care of her…" The woman says and picks up a peach of her table and bites into it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Footfalls echoed through the empty, winding stairway of Leknaat's tower. Luc looked up the moment they began, forest-colored eyes flashing. He began to stand, but Leknaat stopped him with a simple command.

"It appears my guests have arrived," she mused quietly.

Soon, the voices of the visitors could be heard, echoing through the structure.

"Why on Eden does this place have so many stairs?" came a musical voice with a lilting accent that was almost musical. "Geez, I'll bet the castle doesn't have *half* as much of 'em as this place! I have half the mind to--"

"But you're not going to," a second voice interrupted. "Fold your wings in, Azrael."

"Pfft! We could've smoked these stairs in seconds. Why didn't I think of this before?"

"Azrael-- Azrael!"

"Kids," a third voice chimed in, amused. "Never listen to their younger brothers. Come on, Michael, let's go. He had the right idea."

"This is not Eden; the buildings were not built to allow flying. I am *not* going to put myself in any danger flying in this enclosed space!"

Teasingly: "I'll glomp you and carry you up. One way or another, we're both taking the shortcut up. Now, listen to your older brother and let's go."

"Gabriel, for the last-- H-hey! Stop it! Gabriel!"

A figure clothed in white alighted at the head of the stairs, snow white wings flared around him. It was a young man--a boy, really--who couldn't be older than fifteen. His pale face was flushed, gold-flecked silver eyes shining as his immaculate feathers folded around him in a sort of cloak. His clothes were a myriad of colors, the combination one it seemed only he could pull off.

Two more youths came moments later, one in the other's arms, looking rather undignified in the position, furious and struggling to free himself. The three looked exactly alike, but for their hairstyles--the first had feathers braided into the thin plaits strewn among his silver tresses; the other one who was standing had his hair pulled back neatly in one braid, while the boy in his arms had his hair completely unbound.

Silver eyes flared into a bright gold suddenly. "Gabriel Silberwickeln Shirotsuya, unhand me *at once*!"

The youth was cheerfully miffed as he obeyed, folding his wings in a similar fashion to the first young man. "That's what you get for not listening to your elders, Michael." Then he stepped forward and gave a low, sweeping bow to Leknaat and her apprentice. "My Lady Leknaat, we have made haste from our world Eden to your call. How is it that we may aid you?"

The woman smiled. "Gabriel Silberwickeln, Azrael Todesengel, and Michael Shoenleicht Shirotsuya. I bid you three welcome." She gestured to Luc, who nodded acknowledgement, forest green eyes watching them coolly. "This is Luc, my apprentice. Luc, these three are your charges. You are to travel with them to she who shall gather the Stars of Destiny together."

Gabriel grinned at him and patted Michael's head in response to something that seemed to pass silently between them. Azrael gave a sultry smile, which caused Luc to make a mental note to tread lightly around the playboy. The youngest triplet was too busy glaring daggers at Gabriel to make a response.

Luc sighed inwardly. 'This is going to be quite the experience...'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aylee followed the men reluctantly. What other choice did she have. Certainly sleeping in the dirt covered streets ravished by rats and other fowl creatures couldn't do her much good. She said nothing.

"So..." said Victor throwing a look over his shoulder at aylee "You planning to tell us anything at all about yourself, little missy?"

"No" she answered resentfully "And do not call me 'little missy'."

"C'mon Vic, y'ain't gonna get nothin' outta this one i'm tellin' ya. She's hard as stone." 

"Stone! Ah... thats just terrible Flik. Have a heart. She's more like a, like a, a walnut if yaz ask me. Hard on the outside. But y'know what, if ya work at it for long enough you'll get to the good stuff on the inside." Victor said with a smile.

"Ya i'z s'pose" Flik replied with a quizzical glance at the Aylee.

"Well now. At least give us a name, eh?" added Victor with a somewhat false pleading look.

"Ah... Fine if I must. Call me Aylee if you need call me anything."

"Well i think that'll work just ducky, don'tcha think, Flik?" Flik nodded. They finally approached a somewhat rundown looking tavern, with two stories, the second obviously for the inn. 

They entered the building only to be surrounded by the dirtiest, roudiest bunch of men aylee had ever seen. They were drunk, rude, and smelled highly of tobacco smoke which loomed in a thick fog in the enclosed little room.

They quickened pace and went to the back of the room to where a small mousy look man sat somewhat unstably behind a desk littered with papers and shooter glasses.

"A room for the young lady if y'don't mind sir" asked Victor.

"A room! Well i must say we have enough of them don't we fellas!" he ended this outburst wiht a loud hiccup and a chuckle to himself. "And for such a pretty little thing I think we should just let her go right on up for FREEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" The three of them covered their ears as the small man screamed and spun madly on his stool.

Once the man had found the room key after at least 15 minutes of searching, telling stories and hiccupping, they made there way up a flight of stairs.

"Now if yaz need anything just come tell me and ole Vic alright?" Flik smiled his blue eyes dancing with a parents warmth. "Goodnight, y'hear. We'll be just across the hall if y'need us." He and Victor exitted her room and closed the door.

Aylee settled down to sleep only to be woken drenched in cold sweat and breathing hard. What had that dream been about? A man, something about... stars? He had said something. He wanted her dead! she didn't know.

She looked to the clock on the wall. According to it it was 5:42am. She went around the room gathering soap shampoo towels coffee and what not. Who knows when she'd need it. With that she opened the door quietly took one last glance at Victor and Fliks room and walked down the stairs. The small mousy man was asleep (or more likely passed out) on his desk and she made sure not to wake him. She went out of the door and into the dimly lit street.

She walked down the empty streets. She didn't know where she was headed. A cold hand landed on her shoulder and she spun around quickly.

"Hey, where y'think you're going?" said a girl who couldn't be any older than aylee. Her gray eyes shone with excitement and adventure and her red brown hair, tied back in a ponytail, adorned by braids and beads, swung happily behind her head. Her clothes however looked to be in worse condition than Aylee's.

"Whats it to you?"

"Well I ain't ever seen you around these parts ever. I know everyone who walks these streets. I've lived on them all my life. I'm Saiyuki. Nice to meet you." She smiled.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Luc glances at the three angels walking behind him. Then shifts his attention back to the road. _Why did Leknaat have to stick me with them?_ He asks himself. He sighs and walks slightly faster. 

Behind him the three angels are arguing…

"I doubt it… If that were true why would we be here?" Says Azrael, "I mean if she really didn't…"

"Well it _is…_" Gabriel tells his brother, "Why do you think she put him in charge of us?" He motions to Luc. 

"How can you tell?" Azrael asks. 

"Simple… did you see the look on her face when she talked to us? I mean if you trust a person you _don't_ look at them like that…" Gabriel tells him. "Well I think Leknaat trusts us completely…" Michael says. 

"And why, may I ask, is that?" Gabriel says. 

"Well did you see her when she mentioned we were to be traveling with her apprentice? You could tell she thinks highly of him… And I doubt she would let us come with him if she didn't trust us…" Michael replies. 

"In my opinion, he's not too happy that she stuck us with him…" Azrael says. "I mean look at him! He looks back here about every ten minutes and he looks rather annoyed…"

"True…" Gabriel says. "Although I don't think he really likes _anyone_ except Lady Leknaat…"

Michael glances at Gabriel, "Why's that?" 

"Because he's just not the type to make friends easily… And have you noticed his attitude?" Gabriel answers. "Anyway, we can't forget our orders…"

Azrael sighs, "How much longer?" He asks. 

"About twenty more minutes for me… I don't see why she wants him to do this alone…" Gabriel replies. 

"Dunno…" Michael says. 

Luc glances back at them again. _I wonder what's so interesting that a conversation could go on that long! _He thinks and shrugs. Then he turns his attention back to the road. _I also don't see why I couldn't just Orb us there… It would have been much faster… those three really get on my nerves… Well… the youngest seems okay but his brothers! What idiots! I wonder what Leknaat had to say to them before we left… Oh well… must not be too important… And why did she tell me that that girl isn't going to give me her real name? Now that's odd…_ he sighs and looks at the angels again. They were arguing again. 

"I don't see why I have to!" Michael complains. 

"Because I said!" replies Gabriel, "Not like you have a choice anyway. They were orders…"

"Yeah… For some reason Lady Leknaat wants him to meet this girl on his own. Although I don't see the logic in it myself, but… Well orders are orders…" Azrael says. 

"Well fine, but I wanted to meet this girl…" Michael replies. 

"You _will! _Just not now…" Gabriel tells his youngest brother. 

"Fine…" Michael mutters…

"Anyway it's time for me to leave…." Gabriel says. "I'll see you two later alright? Well by then…" Gabriel stops walking and walks away into the trees…

"Must he be so dramatic about it?" Michael says. 

"You know how Gabriel acts… He tries to show off…" Azrael sighs, "But who he has to show off _to_ is beyond me…"

"So how long to you leave?" Michael asks. 

"About 10 minutes…" Azrael sighs. "We're nearing the city…"

"Oh…" Michael looks at the ground. _Why do we have to leave? What is it Leknaat wants her apprentice to do? _He asks himself. He sighs and looks up again. 

Luc looks back at them and notices that Gabriel is gone. "Hey…" He says stopping. "Where'd your bother go?" "Azrael looks at him. "I don't know… I'll go find him…" He says. "He looks at Michael "Okay so we're gonna be ahead of schedule… so what!" He mutters and then flies off.

"I won't ask…" Luc says and continues walking… Michael catches up with him. "What?" Luc asks.

"Nothing…" Michael shakes his head. Luc sighs and rolls his eyes. About twenty minutes later, Luc looks behind them. "They're still not back yet…" He says.

Michael sighs, figuring it's about time for him to leave. "I'll go find them…" He says, "Knowing them, they're probably at some bar somewhere…" He sighs.

Luc looks suspiciously at him. "Well alright but hurry up…"

Michael nods and flies off to, supposedly, find his brothers. "Why do I have a feeling Leknaat put them up to this?" Luc asks himself. He yawns and looks at the road ahead. A town is coming into view. It seems somewhat small, but probably isn't. Mountains hide most of the town… Luc sighs and starts to walks quickly to be able to reach it before nightfall.

Soon he reaches the town. He stares at it. _Oh gee… It just had to be here didn't it? _He thinks. He sighs and walks sullenly inside… 


End file.
